With more than 100 breweries in the Portland metro area, beer aficionados never go thirsty in the City of Roses. But with a scene this big, sometimes it can be difficult to navigate through the suds. While it’s always fun to experience the big, popular events and breweries, exploring some of the lesser-known gems is a great way to get to know the local side of a city. Use this guide to find your place in Portland’s beer scene Beervana.
(Glisan Street Pale Ale – fill ‘er up. Photo credit: Migration Brewing Company)
IF YOU LIKE … the summertime vibes at the Oregon Brewers Festival
TRY … the Portland Craft Beer Festival
- The Oregon Brewers Festival, held the last full weekend of July, is one of the longest-running craft beer celebrations in the country—it turns 30 this year and still attracts people from far and wide.
- But it’s certainly not the only game in town in July. Founded in 2015, the Portland Craft Beer Festival kicks off Oregon Craft Beer Month – over Fourth of July weekend – with an outdoor party that exclusively features beers (plus ciders and wines) made within Portland’s city limits. The hyperlocal taste extravaganza includes a handful of exclusive sips, like the new Dreifecta Lager (drei meaning three, in German) collaboration between Widmer Brothers Brewing and the three Kimpton Portland hotels that’s debuting at the fest. The beer is also going to be featured at Wine Hour starting this summer.
Stay: At Kimpton Hotel Vintage Portland, less than a mile from the festival grounds at The Fields Park
Games of corn hole and sunshine (Photo credit: Portland Craft Beer Festival)
IF YOU LIKE … the bicycle-loving, family-friendly Hopworks Urban Brewery
TRY … Migration Brewing
- Hopworks is beloved for its cool bike aesthetic and organic beers served in a space that welcomes everyone, including kids.
- Pouring award-winning beers since 2010, Migration Brewing is a great, low-key spot as well, the kind of place where you can park your bike and grab a bite to eat (and a pint, of course) in a rustic urban setting. Sip everything from a citrusy pale ale to a rich, chocolaty porter; try your hand at darts; and bask in the sunshine courtesy of the ample outdoor seating.
Stay: At Kimpton Hotel Monaco—the hotel is bicycle-loving and family-friendly, too
Luscious Lupulin IPA sports dry hops and citrusy aromatics (Photo credit: Migration Brewing Company)
IF YOU LIKE … the extensive menu options at Deschutes Brewery
TRY … Wayfinder Beer
- At Deschutes, you can pair your lager or summer ale with a whole host of food items, from Northwest clams and truffled green beans to an elk burger and Dungeness crab roll to snickerdoodle cheesecake and marionberry cobbler.
- In the culinary department, relative new kid on the block Wayfinder Beer is also no slouch, with its made-from-scratch comfort food that always hits the spot. In the spacious century-old brick warehouse, try the Mac & Beer Cheese, Fried Cauliflower, or charcuterie from the famed local meatmaster behind Podnah’s Pit. If you happen to be in the company of non-beer drinkers (yes, they do exist), Wayfinder offers a nice selection of cocktails and nonalcoholic sodas.
Stay: At Kimpton Hotel RiverPlace, where a waterfront pop-up restaurant serves up tasty tacos and tequila every summer
Behold the Instagram-worthy taco line-up at Three Degrees
